


Faithful Companion

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Tumblr Prompts and Potential Future AU's [11]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, For a Friend, Hurt Alec, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Post Season 2, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Magnus Bane, Service Dogs, Supportive Magnus Bane, Supportive Siblings, Tumblr Prompt, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22594243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: Sometimes the secrets we keep aren't ones that we think will hurt others, but that we think will hurt ourselves. Luckily for Alec, he's got amazing siblings behind him, and a wonderfully supportive boyfriend to get him through it.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Tumblr Prompts and Potential Future AU's [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/891177
Comments: 19
Kudos: 337





	Faithful Companion

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt fill from tumblr for a friend who loved my 'post season 2' fic where Alec tells Magnus about tentacles (I know, I know, don't judge) and wanted one with a secret like this. I hope this is what you wanted, darling!!!

This was stupid. It was so very stupid, and Alec knew that. The very last thing that Alec needed was to listen to his sister tell him just that, _loudly_.

“This is _stupid_ ,” Isabelle said, hands on her hips as she glared across his desk at him. “Is this just a _you_ thing, or is it a _boy_ thing? Like, I know boys are dumb about the _dumbest things_ , but seriously…”

Alec snorted, rolling his eyes at her yet still doing his best to ignore her. His parabatai had no such issue. He was lying on the couch watching the two of them, mostly amused with the whole thing. But Isabelle’s words had him speaking up for the first time since he’d dropped himself down onto the couch five minutes ago. “Oh, yeah, cause we all know that how we make our choices is based on what’s between our legs,” Jace said sarcastically. The words were a deliberate poke against Isabelle’s common rant when men treated her differently for being a woman.

They both had their points, which was why Alec never argued it. Though he did take a small amount of big-brother-pleasure at seeing the sour look she shot Jace’s way at having her words thrown back at her.

Then she was looking back at him, glaring again, and Alec tried to smother a sigh. _I’m never going to get this paperwork done._

“I just don’t understand what the big deal is!” Isabelle exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “You and Magnus have been dating for, what? Three months now?”

He gave a half-nod, half-shrug. That was close enough.

“You’ve been dating for three months,” Isabelle repeated. “And you still haven’t told him you have a dog?”

Alec lifted his eyes from the paper he was holding and let them drift over to the dog in question. Argos didn’t even bother looking up. He was too content at the moment lying beside the couch with Jace’s hand in his fur scratching at his favorite spot right behind his ears.

When Alec looked away from Argos, he caught Jace’s eye, and his parabatai grinned at him. “You know I don’t really like agreeing with Izzy, but she’s got a point here, brother. Why haven’t you told Magnus about Argos?”

There were a multitude of reasons behind that. Some of which were ones that Alec was never going to voice out loud to them just out of fear of sounding ridiculous, and some that he knew he didn’t need to say. But there were others he didn’t mind pointing out. Things like: “Have you _met_ Magnus? He’s a perfect example of a _cat person_.”

Between Chairman Meow, the tons of other strays that often came by to eat some of the food Magnus left out on the rooftop – Alec had yet to figure out how the hell all those cats got up there all the time, but whatever – and then his own cat-like traits, yeah, Magnus was definitely a cat person.

Jace apparently considered that a valid point. He made a low, agreeable sound. “Fair enough.”

“No, not _fair enough_!” Isabelle snapped. She shot Jace a look that probably would’ve ended with a punch if she’d been closer. Then she spun back to Alec. “You’re being stupid about this. So what if he’s a cat person? It’s not like you’re telling him you don’t like cats…”

“I’d be planning your funeral if you did,” Jace chimed in.

Ignoring him, Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest and went on. “You’re telling him about a pet you already have. A pet you’ve had for _two years_.”

The truth was, he knew she wasn’t wrong. There was absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t be able to tell Magnus that he had a dog. Just because Magnus was a cat person, and already had a cat or twelve, didn’t mean that Alec having a dog was going to be that big of a deal. It might present problems if they tried to bring them around each other, but Argos was used to staying here at the Institute.

Sure, Alec _wanted_ him there when he slept at night. That was one of the main things Argos was around for, really. But having Magnus beside him really helped out most nights. Alec could survive without him if he had to. He could just tell Magnus he had a pet – no more than that. He didn’t need to tell him the rest.

That was the crux of it all, Alec knew, and he was aware that both his siblings knew it, too. The real reason that Alec had Argos – and the reason that he was so afraid of telling Magnus.

Sighing, Alec closed his eyes for a minute, not wanting to stare at the paper in front of him but not wanting to look up at his sister, either. “Can you just drop it, Izzy? Please?”

It was probably the _please_ that did it. There was no doubt Isabelle had picked up on his flat tone and knew that he wanted to close the topic, but Lightwoods were stubborn. She wouldn’t give in just because of that. However, the soft _please_ wasn’t something she could just ignore. Not when her brother was more likely to walk away or snap at her if she pushed too hard. Having him ask her like that, there was no way she could keep pushing and they all knew it.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to leave without getting in the last word, though. It was just a soft, easy “You need to tell him,” and then she was gone, shutting the door behind her, leaving Alec, Argos, and Jace alone.

Sighing again, Alec kept his eyes closed and rubbed at the headache building in his temples. He heard a faint huff and then a click of nails. The next thing he knew, Argos was shoving his head under Alec’s arm and nosing right in, pushing to get close enough that he could lick right over Alec’s chin. A soft huff left Alec at the touch. He moved his hands away from his head and let Argos nudge him back to recline a little in his chair. It freed up his lap enough that Argos could lift his front half, laying on Alec’s lap, and nudge at him for attention. The weight was comforting and distracting. Two things that Alec hadn’t even really realized he’d needed.

He’d almost forgotten about Jace’s presence for a long moment. The man was his brother, his parabatai, a part of Alec’s very soul. Him being there always felt so natural. Alec barely registered it until Jace spoke again.

“You know, she’s not wrong,” Jace said gently. When Alec opened his eyes, he found Jace watching him with concern.

Closing his eyes again, Alec nodded. He reached out and let his hand settle on Argos’ neck. “I know.”

“You’ve been backsliding, buddy. You’re sleeping less, eating less, and you’re getting jittery.”

He wasn’t wrong. Alec knew that he’d started to slide a little. It was just… it wasn’t easy. How on earth did you have this kind of conversation? _Hey, so, I know we’ve been dating for like three months, but by the way, I’ve got a service dog that no one else but Jace or Izzy know is actually a service dog, and I usually don’t sleep well unless he’s there. I hope that’s okay._ Yeah, that would go over _great_. Not to mention it’d open up the door to a whole lot more that Alec wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to talk about. He hadn’t found a way to talk about just the fact that he owned a dog. He sure as hell hadn’t been able to approach the underlying reason why he had one.

Argos whined, butting his head against Alec’s other hand. It drew his attention to the fact that he’d clenched his hand a little too tightly.

Jace gave them a moment so that Alec could pet at Argos’ fur and slowly settle himself back down again. Only when he was breathing normally and had started to relax did Jace speak up. “You want me to come with you?”

The sheer honesty in that question brought a smile to Alec’s lips. Jace meant it, he knew. He’d really come with Alec to talk to Magnus and help him explain things. “No.” Still smiling, Alec shook his head. “Thank you, Jace, but no. I… I can tell him myself.”

A bright smile lit up Jace’s face. “I know you can, Alec. You’re one of the strongest guys I know.”

If only that were true.

Alec tried not to let his thoughts sink again once Jace left him alone. But his mind was swirling with everything his siblings had said. They weren’t wrong, he knew. He needed to do this. Not just for his own mental health, either. Magnus didn’t deserve to be lied to. He didn’t deserve Alec keeping secrets from him. Especially not after last time.

He needed to tell him. No matter how Magnus responded, he needed to let him know. Even if that meant opening up a part of himself he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to show.

Looking down at Argos, another sigh slid from Alec. He tousled Argos’ head a little, making his ears flop around. Dark eyes looked up from a beautiful gray face. Though Alec knew some found Argos intimidating – he looked sort of like a Great Dane, or some type of Mastiff, at least according to Isabelle’s research – he was a sweetheart of a dog, and one of the most well-trained animals that Alec had ever met.

Alec moved his fingers to scratch behind his ears, making Argos lean happily into the touch. “They’re not wrong,” Alec murmured, watching the dog’s face. “I need to tell him. What’s the worst that could happen? He’s not going to leave me just because I’m a little more screwed up than he realized, right? That’s not the type of guy he is.”

Argos looked up at him and then stretched, licking Alec’s chin once more in what Alec liked to think was reassurance.

If only Alec’s words had sounded more confident and less like he was trying to convince himself of the truth of them.

Logically, he knew Magnus wasn’t going to leave him just because he had a few… issues. Or a dog. Or a dog that helped with those issues. But that didn’t make it any easier to go and talk about it. He needed to, though. He couldn’t just keep putting this off. Not if he wanted to be worthy of the love and trust that Magnus gave him. “I can do this,” Alec told Argos. “I _can do this_.”

He liked to think that the bark Argos gave was his version of agreement.

Making the decision and then following through with it were two totally different things. Alec knew if he waited, he’d talk himself out of this for the millionth time. He needed to go do it _now_ before he lost his courage.

A look at the paperwork left on the desk told him there wasn’t anything that required immediate attention. It could wait.

All it took was a “Get down” from Alec, and Argos was off his lap and standing beside his chair. Within minutes the two of them were making their way out of Alec’s office and through the Institute.

No one around here flinched at the sight of the large dog walking beside Alec. As far as everyone here knew, the dog was just Alec’s pet that he somehow managed to be able to keep despite no one else ever really having pets. His having Argos had helped to change that a little. Now there were a few cats here and there, mostly kept out of the way by Church. He got a bit territorial. One Shadowhunter, Alec knew, had two hamsters. Their lives didn’t exactly lend to the type for keeping pets around, though.

Either way, he made his way through the Ops Center without anyone looking at him strangely. Thankfully, no one tried to stop him, either. They likely assumed he was going to walk Argos or take him outside for a break. Both were possible.

The only people who suspected more were the only two who knew the truth about Alec and Argos. He caught sight of his siblings on the other side of the Ops Center as he walked. Isabelle gave him a bright smile and a double thumbs-up, while Jace caught his eye and just nodded, a silent sign of support. A _you can do this_ mixed in with _call me if you need me_ and _I’m here for you_ that put a lump in Alec’s throat. All he could do was nod back and hope that he wasn’t making a mistake.

The day was still early enough, and the sun shining brightly, that Alec normally would’ve enjoyed making the most of the walk with Argos. They hadn’t been getting out lately as much as he would’ve liked. But at the moment his anxiety was too high for him to do more than just walk almost blindly with Argos at his side. They had no leash – they didn’t need one. He walked perfectly in front of Alec and just slightly to the left. It allowed him to nudge Alec as needed, or to provide a barrier between him and anyone or anything coming toward them.

When they arrived at the loft, it took a second for Alec to realize they were there. He stared up at the building in front of him and just… stood there. As soon as he stepped through the door, he knew Magnus would know he was there. Most of his wards were settled around the loft itself, but he had other basic wards that were kept up on the main part of the building during a workday. It was how he knew when clients arrived or when special people showed up. Most of the time Alec didn’t really mind it, though he shook his head over it at other times. Wards sure made it hard to show up and surprise your boyfriend for lunch.

 _No turning back_ , Alec told himself. He’d come this far. He was going to do this. _He was going to do this_.

With a simple hand gesture to Argos, the two set forward once more, making their way inside and past the point of no return.

* * *

The elevator ride was one of the most tense that Alec could remember taking. Not even Argos’ solid weight against Alec’s leg was enough to help him stay calm. His hands were clenched together behind his back in a gesture that would’ve given away his anxiety to anyone who knew him. When the elevator finally _dinged_ to let them know they’d reached the top, he actually startled a little. It was only Argos pushing as his leg that got him moving.

Just like always, the door to the loft opened as soon as Alec got close to it. Whether that was from a gesture from Magnus or by design wasn’t something that Alec had ever really bothered to ask. He just took advantage of it and walked right inside like it was any other normal day.

Magnus wasn’t immediately in sight when Alec walked in. Sometimes he greeted him at the door. Other times he was in the middle of something, and it would take him a moment to come out. Today was clearly one of the latter.

Alec took a second to hang his coat up on the hook. He shut the door behind him next and then turned to face the loft. _You can do this. You can do this. You can do this._

He’d barely gone two steps in when he heard Magnus’ voice coming from the direction of his apothecary, moving toward him, and Alec knew his time was up. “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise,” Magnus was saying. Alec stood frozen just inside the living room, unable to do anything but watch as Magnus stepped into view. “I wasn’t expecting you… _oh._ ”

There was a brief moment where Alec swore that Magnus had to be able to hear the pounding of his heart. Then he watched as his boyfriend absolutely _melted_ at the sight of the dog beside Alec.

“Oh, _look at you_.” The words came out in the familiar coo that Alec had only ever heard him turn toward Chairman Meow or the other stray cats that showed up.

Luckily, Alec moved quick enough to give Argos the _release_ gesture so that the dog was free to react when Magnus went right up to him and dropped down to his knees. The urge to laugh bubbled up in Alec – Magnus and Argos were eye to eye like this, the dog almost a bit _taller_ – but he held it back out of fear it’d come out a hair too hysterical.

“Look at you!” Magnus repeated. His hands came up to pet at Argos’ face, and Argos shamelessly fell into the touch in a way Alec hadn’t quite expected. He tended to be a bit picky about the humans he liked. Isabelle liked to joke that he was as standoffish as Alec was until he warmed up to someone. But he looked perfectly happy to let Magnus pet him while the warlock continued to coo at him. “Aren’t you just a beautiful one? Yes, yes you are.”

When Magnus looked up at Alec, his cat eyes were on display the way they always were in the privacy of their home, and he was beaming.

“Where on earth did you find this darling treasure?” Magnus demanded, never once letting up on his petting.

It took a second Alec to find his voice. “That’s, uh… that’s a long story.” Then, because he couldn’t quite stop himself, he blurted out, “You like dogs?”

“Of course.” Another of those bright smiles were flashed up at Alec. Then Magnus was looking back at Argos again as he scratched under his chin, making the dog’s whole day. “Even with my predilection towards felines, I’ve known a canine or two I’ve been quite fond of. Honestly, there are few animals out there I _don’t_ like.” He tilted his head, and his eyes twinkled mischievously up at Alec. “I have many werewolf friends, I’ll have you know.”

A snort slipped out before Alec could stop it. He found himself smiling faintly down at his ridiculous boyfriend. “I’d like to see Maia’s reaction if she heard you comparing her to a dog.”

“I think in this instance what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Magnus said, winking. He pushed up to his feet, still smiling, and gestured both Alec and Argos forward. “Come, sit down. I’m eager to hear this _long story_ of yours.”

All at once, the nerves came back even stronger than before. Alec had to remind himself that this was already going so much better than he’d thought it would. Magnus apparently liked dogs, and he clearly liked Argos. That was one hurdle they’d made it over. He could do the rest of it. Or, if he wanted, he could just leave it at telling him that Argos was his and nothing else. He didn’t _have_ to say it, did he?

One look at Magnus’ smiling face, and Alec knew the answer to that.

Alec sat down in the corner of the couch, Although Alec had released Argos from his duties, the dog still stuck close to Alec. He sat down beside him and leaned in against his legs. It was one of the few things they hadn’t really been able to train out of him. He didn’t like being _off work_ if Alec was in the room.

If Magnus thought anything odd about their seating, he didn’t say anything. Though Alec noticed a little furrow briefly between his eyebrows.

Magnus took the seat next to Alec’s the same way he always did. Only, instead of curling up into him like they liked, he twisted his body so that he had one leg drawn up onto the couch with them, and he was facing Alec. It mimicked the slightly sideways pose that Alec had chosen. When he reached out one hand, Alec didn’t hesitate to take it. Just the touch of warm fingers and metal helped settle something in Alec’s chest.

“So,” Alec paused, clearing out the bit of roughness that seemed to have settled into his throat. _I can do this. It’s Magnus – he’s never run from any part of me. I can do this._ “This is, this is Argos.”

One corner of Magnus’ mouth curved up. “The faithful dog of Odysseus.”

“I loved that story when I was a kid.”

Surprise lit up Magnus’ eyes. His eyebrows went up, and then his whole expression smoothed down into that loving sort of look that Alec still wasn’t used to having directed his way. “Of course you did. I don’t know why I’m surprised after I’ve seen you devour the books in my library.”

“I didn’t name him,” Alec said, shrugging off Magnus’ kind words and fond look. He couldn’t focus on those right now. “But when I heard his name, I knew he was mine.” His hand clenched a little on Magnus’, and he took one last deep breath. Then he just… let it out. “Three years ago, I was… you know some of how I was back then. How I was when I first met you. Things weren’t – I don’t like to talk about it, but I’ve told you a little about what it was, it was like for me. At home.”

Though the love didn’t fade off of Magnus’ face, if anything it grew stronger, the amused edges were replaced with sympathy – not pity – and the hints of anger that always showed up when Alec mentioned his childhood.

Alec looked down at their joined hands. It made it easier for him to keep talking. He was going to have to give the kind of detail here that he never had in the past. If he wanted Magnus to understand, he was going to have to open up parts of himself that he didn’t even like sharing with his parabatai or his sister, who had been there to witness some of it.

“When I was sixteen, my parents were getting frustrated with the way some of my training had stalled, and they wanted me to go on one last tour before Jace and I became parabatai. It was the only way they’d agree to it. So I, I went.” He hadn’t wanted to, not really, but he hadn’t been worried about it. He’d done it before. Most Shadowhunters did. Especially those being trained to be a leader. A tour through Institutes to be able to train under different people with different styles. “I started off in Madrid, and then just, worked my way from Institute to Institute, training under their Heads and their Weapons Masters to try and pick up on what each Institute did. But, but then I went to Sydney.” 

He didn’t have to look up to know the expression that would be on Magnus’ face. Only once had Magnus even started to suggest they go there. All Alec had needed to do was mention _spiders,_ and Magnus had chuckled but waved his hands and told him, “Say no more.”

Just thinking about Sydney and everything that had happened there was enough to have Alec’s hands starting to tremble. He knew Magnus could feel it. Knew his worry only grew higher when Argos suddenly pressed closer to Alec’s side and started licking at the hand that Magnus wasn’t holding.

“Alexander?”

The urge to close his eyes was strong. Alec only kept them open because he knew what he’d see if he didn’t. “I wasn’t… it…” Pausing, he shuddered. _You can do this._ The shudder grew stronger, trembles wracking his body as memories stretched up the back of his skull like demon smoke, trying to twist and curl their way through his brain.

Against his ankle, he felt the ghost of tiny little legs trying to crawl.

Argos barked, sharp and loud, and then his feet were pressing heavily into Alec’s thigh. The heavy weight was grounding. It pulled Alec’s brain back toward where it needed to be instead of getting caught in the past. He reached his free hand up, burying it in the scruff of Argos’ neck, and sighed a little when the dog settled his front half down on Alec’s lap like a blanket.

When Alec dared to dart a look up, he found Magnus watching him with his eyebrows drawn up in the center and his eyes heavy. The corners of his mouth were turned down ever so slightly, and his lips were parted. “Oh, darling.”

The words that had been stuck in Alec’s throat before now came pushing upward. He didn’t know why it was suddenly easier to say now that he was looking at Magnus; maybe it was seeing the sympathy, the _understanding_ , without a single trace of pity. Or maybe it was the solid weight of Argos on his lap. Either way, Alec found the ability to say _something_ , even if it wasn’t _everything_. “I didn’t realize Mom had spoken to the Head there before she sent me. She knew I was still having issues with kuri demons in training, so she figured the best place to get past that would be Sydney.”

He could see in Magnus’ eyes that his lover understood where this story was going. He might not know the details, but he could glean enough.

To Alec’s surprise, Magnus gave his hand a tight squeeze and then shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me the details, Alexander.”

The huge swell of relief that Alec felt at those words was quickly followed by one of guilt and shame. “You…you deserve to know.”

Again, Magnus shook his head, firmer this time. “Not until you’re ready to tell me. I can guess enough, and that’s plenty to be going on right now. You can tell me what happened once you got home, and the rest can come whenever _you’re_ ready, not when you think you have to.”

Love filled Alec’s heart for the amazing, beautiful man in front of him. _I don’t deserve him_ , he couldn’t help but think. Yet, for once, he was going to be selfish. He was going to hold on to the beauty he’d found for as long as Magnus would let him stay in his life.

Knowing that he didn’t have to get into the nitty-gritty was enough to ease some of Alec’s tension. His hands relaxed, and his touches to Argos’ neck grew a little gentler, a little easier. This part wasn’t exactly something he was proud of, but it was easier to admit this kind of weakness to Magnus than it was to detail why he’d gotten to that point. Magnus had already seen Alec low plenty of times and still loved him anyway. Judging by the way he was watching Alec now, how steadily he sat there supporting him and waiting for whatever Alec gave him made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere now.

If anything, Alec was willing to bet Magnus had already at least partially guessed what was coming next.

“When I got home, I was a wreck.” Alec found it easier to just be blunt about this. No beating around the bush. Better to just get it all right out there. “I jumped at everything, I had panic attacks multiple times a day, I wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating, and I…”

He made a small, abortive gesture toward his thigh that he could tell Magnus saw, judging by the soft _Ah_ he let out. Magnus already knew about the scars that were hidden under Alec’s jeans. He’d touched them so many times. Traced them with fingers and tongue and magic as if he could reach back into the past and soothe the aching boy that Alec had once been.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Alec drew in a deep breath. They were past the hardest parts. He could finish the rest of this.

“To this day, I still don’t really know where Izzy got the idea, or how she got Mom to agree to it. I just know that one day she and Jace came in and forced me out of my room. They got me dressed, and they dragged me out of the Institute. Then they took me through a portal to this huge house out in some bright countryside. There were no houses for _miles_.” Just thinking of the place was enough to have Alec smiling a little. He didn’t remember a lot from the start of things, but he had clearer memories of it as time went on. “I didn’t know that Izzy and Jace had already talked to the guy who owned the place. He was a retired Shadowhunter, so they didn’t really have to, to hide anything about me or who I was.”

“That must’ve been helpful,” Magnus said softly.

Alec nodded. “Yeah. He was a bit hesitant at first. I was young, even for a Shadowhunter. To be having those kinds of problems…” He trailed off, eyes dropping down and away. No matter how many years went past, there was still a part of Alec that was ashamed of this.

Almost as if Magnus could read his mind, the warlock drew their joined hands up and pressed a kiss against Alec’s knuckles. When Alec looked back, Magnus gave him a gentle smile.

That easy touch, and the fact that Magnus didn’t try to hurry and argue with him the way Isabelle or Jace would have, it eased some of the knots in Alec’s stomach. He let his lips curve into a soft smile of his own.

“We talked for a bit, and, I don’t know, I guess whatever he saw was enough. The next clear thing I remember is Argos practically climbing into my lap.” Alec’s smile grew a little warmer at that. He looked down at the dog, who was still just resting on his lap, the same he had all those years ago. A fond chuckle slid past Alec’s lips. “He was smaller then, but still pretty big. He was, oh, two years old? But he just climbed right up into my lap just like this, and I kind of felt like I was _seeing_ for the first time in… _months_. Zac introduced us, and I just knew, you know?”

Magnus was smiling just as warmly as Alec was. “I do.”

“I spent the next three weeks there learning how to work with him and making sure we were what each other needed. When I came home, he came with me, and I just… I wasn’t _better_ , but I felt like I _could_ be.”

“And your mother?”

He blew out a breath edged in frustration he didn’t really allow himself to feel. “Pretends that he’s just a pet. It’s what the rest of the Shadowhunters think he is. Just Izzy, Jace, and Mom know the truth. And now, you.” The urge to pick at his hands was strong enough that Alec forced himself to keep his fingers in Argos’ fur. It gave him a steady focus.

Magnus didn’t let Alec stew for long. Really, Alec should’ve known better than to be worried. There was so much love written all over every inch of Magnus as he yet again drew Alec’s hand up so that he could kiss his knuckles. Then he shifted their hands, separating their fingers so that he could press Alec’s hand against his cheek, nuzzling into it. “Thank you so much for telling me. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

“I didn’t want to lie to you,” Alec said simply.

The bright smile he was rewarded with was enough to finally get rid of the last of his nerves. He kept that smile as he brought their hands back to rest on his knee. “Are you comfortable with me asking about the types of services he provides? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Magnus rushed to add in as if Alec might be offended by the question. “I just want to know what kinds of things I might expect, or if there are situations it might be better for me to back away from and allow him to work.”

The fact that he thought to ask that… That he was honestly sitting there watching Alec and waiting for him to talk him through this like it was no big deal – like adding a giant dog to their life in the loft out of nowhere wasn’t any sort of a problem at all… Alec looked at Magnus and felt his heart skip a beat in his chest.

He dropped his hand off of Argos’ head and gave a quick “Get down” command. The instant Argos was off his lap, Alec shoved forward and caught Magnus’ face with both his hands, kissing him hard.

Magnus returned the kiss instantly. He grabbed Alec’s hips and let the momentum of the kiss carry him back on the couch. The way he laughed into the kiss had Alec fighting back a grin of his own. Their teeth clacked together, and it was a mess of bright smiles and laughter that turned into giggles. When Alec pulled back, there were crinkles at Magnus’ eyes, and those little dimples he denied having, and Alec blurted out the only thing that mattered at that moment. “I love you, and I’m so lucky I have you in my life.”

Those dimples deepened, tempting Alec to lean down and press a kiss against them. “I love you too, Alexander.”

There were still a lot of things to talk about. Magnus wasn’t in the wrong, asking what kind of services Argos provided. They’d have to talk about that so Magnus would know what to expect. But they’d gotten past the hardest part. Alec had told him, and Magnus hadn’t panicked, hadn’t freaked out, hadn’t even been the least bit upset at the idea of a dog being around. He’d just accepted it the same way he’d accepted every other part of Alec.

They were both still smiling when Alec leaned in to kiss him once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. Or if you'd like to give a prompt of your own, feel free to go to my tumblr and leave it there :)


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